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Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Sony Alpha QX1 front
Portability
90
Imaging
63
Features
48
Overall
57

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Introduced October 2019
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • Later Model is OM System OM-5
Sony QX1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • " Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 216g - 74 x 70 x 53mm
  • Introduced September 2014
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 Overview

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony QX1, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Lens-style by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M5 III (20MP) and the QX1 (20MP) is relatively comparable but the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and QX1 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 III was manufactured 5 years after the QX1 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony QX1 being a Lens-style camera.

Before we go straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-M5 III matches up versus the QX1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Sony QX1

 E-M5 III QX1 
IntroducedOctober 2019September 2014Newer by 63 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen size3""Bigger screen (+3")
Screen resolution1040k0kSharper screen (+1040k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony QX1 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 QX1 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony QX1

 E-M5 III QX1 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 III comes with exterior measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Sony QX1 has measurements of 74mm x 70mm x 53mm (2.9" x 2.8" x 2.1") along with a weight of 216 grams (0.48 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony QX1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-M5 III against the QX1.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and QX1 is 80 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions just by going through a spec sheet. The picture below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 III and QX1.

Clearly, each of the cameras feature the identical MP albeit different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 III has got the smaller sensor which should make getting shallow DOF harder. The fresher E-M5 III should have an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography factors
Sony QX1 Portrait photography factors
77
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
66
manual focus
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Street photography factors
Sony QX1 Street photography factors
83
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
includes touch focus
environment proofing
great high ISO (25,600)
69
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
comes with touch focus
no moving screen
no image stabilization
heavier than competition (216g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography features
Sony QX1 Sports photography features
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
high fps (30.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery life (310 shots)
56
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
great battery life (440 per charge)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Travel photography with Sony QX1
77
environment proofing
has bluetooth
includes touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery life (310 per charge)
71
great battery life (440 shots)
comes with touch focus
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition (216g)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Landscape photography camera
Sony QX1 as a Landscape photography camera
77
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
terrible battery life (310 per charge)
64
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (440 CIPA)
small screen (")
manual exposure not possible
no image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 III
Vlogging with Sony QX1
84
screen is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect autofocus
video res high (4096 x 2160 pixels)
has mic support
32
screen is touchscreen
supports face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
does not have external mic socket
heavier than competition (216 grams)
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony QX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Sony QX1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIISony Alpha QX1
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Sony Alpha QX1
Category Advanced Mirrorless Lens-style
Introduced 2019-10-17 2014-09-03
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Lens-style
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII Bionz X
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 3:2
Max resolution 5184 x 3888 5456 x 3632
Max native ISO 25600 16000
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Min enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 121 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 1.6
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches -
Resolution of screen 1,040k dots 0k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter rate 30.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Off, auto, fill, slow sync, rear sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (30p)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414 gr (0.91 pounds) 216 gr (0.48 pounds)
Physical dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 74 x 70 x 53mm (2.9" x 2.8" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 310 photographs 440 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2, 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $1,199 $500